This paper explores the factors underlying regime stability in low and medium income countries. More specifically, the paper argues that redistributive policies that are designed to balance rural-urban discrepancies in public spending contribute to regime support. Conversely, the lack of balanced redistribution across urban and rural regions induces opposition against the regime. The authors assess this argument by undertaking a focused comparison of four cases from North Africa and Central Asia - two countries have experienced regime change after popular revolt and two of them have remained relatively stable. A detailed analysis of food security and agricultural policies indicates that balanced redistribution in Morocco and Uzbekistan have contributed to regime stability, whereas uneven redistribution in Tunisia and Kyrgyzstan have led to popular discontent and subsequent regime change. Data sources include field interviews with government officials and NGO leaders in these countries as well as policy documents, news reports, and scholarly articles published on the Internet.